Hey, heading out to 2nd season elk hunt and going through Eagle's Nest Outfitting. We're horsebacking in around a mile or so from Trapper's. Anyone used these guys before? Anyone hunted that area before and have some light to shed on what to expect? This is my second year and am really hoping to get something finally. Thanks in advance.

Haven't hunted Trappers Lake per se, but I've spent my share of time in the Flat Tops. It's a great area, but it's definitely no secret. Expect to see other hunters and the farther in the guide takes you, the less you'll see. If you can get into the Wilderness, expect a good hunt. There are elk there, but my experience has been the elk are well educated about hunters in the woods this time of year. I'm sure your guide will be up on the animal’s habits though. I personally like the area, but in my opinion, you really need die-hard backpacking friends or horses to get into the wilderness, where I've seen the most animals. Expect any type of weather from two feet of snow to 60 and sunny. Good luck.

I don't know about big elk. Big elk numbers sure. But that area is a quantity not quality for the most part. That beeing said I killed my biggest elk saturday evening not far from sleepycat! The small one was my previous biggest bull. I also bow hunted near Trappers three years ago and were into elk everyday. Good luck.

Thanks. Yeah it was this year. It was tough hunting this year with the rain and snow my area got. He was the only legal elk I had a shot at. I saw 5 spikes 2 other legal bulls and one cow. I was hunting my way back to camp when that guy crossed my path!

Cookster - I just got back from that same area of GMU 24. Your outfitter, Eagle's Nest, shares the western half of GMU 24 with Ripple Creek Lodge - the outfitter I used. None of the ~20 clients of my outfitter shot a single elk - not even a cow. One of Ripple Creeks' clients shot a 3x5 bull, but that was out of a drop camp on the north side of CR 8 - where the ATV/UTVs are at. Not in the wilderness area.

If you're going 1 mile in on horseback from Trapper's Lake, then you'll likely end up by Lily pond or some of those same creek draws I hunted. Very little sign and only a few cow sightings from the ~15 hunters I talked to. I saw a spike on the ridge north of Bear Creek but that won't help you as you likely have a bull only tag and the 4 point antler restriction.

I wish I had asked my outfitter to forget about the horses and just drive me in a truck/UTV/ATV up to the Pagoda Peak area (east of the pass and on the other/north side of County Road 8 - the Flat Tops Byway).

During 1st season, hunter pressure was only high the first ~1.5 days, then they all left when they realized the elk simply weren't in the area.

We spent alot of time in the dark timber just hoping, but the numbers just weren't there in my opinion.

Don’t let it fool you, late season food plots do work. Many people believe that the only time to plant a food plot is during spring but this is not true!! This spring and summer like many people I worked all the time leaving little time for the outdoors. That time was spent scouting areas and hanging tree stands. I didn’t think that I would be able to plant a successful food plot for the 2010 hunting season. But boy was I wrong. I had never planted a fall foot plot before fall 2010, and I...